Yukon Chatter Bug

Nanzen-ji is a Buddhist Temple established in 1291 that was within walking distance of our hotel.  Upon entering the grounds, you see a great gate called The Sanmon. Apparently it is one of the three largest gates in Japan.

Even at this time of year before everything is in bloom, the gardens are beautiful:

 

There are many rooms throughout that you can peek into. There are paintings on sliding panels (fusuma) decorated in Japanese landscapes and tigers. Visitors are not allowed to take photos of inside these rooms, but here is what the outside looks like:

There were several Zen gardens also:

And more photos around the temple grounds:

 

 

This wooded path seemed to lead up the mountain.

 

With only one full day in Kyoto, we didn’t have the time to visit everything we wanted, including the famous bamboo groves at the far west end of the city. But we did come across a smaller one:

 

To finish our evening, we walked along the main street where our hotel was located (The Westin Miyako Kyoto), and we came across this quaint little restaurant: Asuka. It had a Lonely Planet review displayed in the window, so we decided to give it a try.

 

Like in Korea, this restaurant had low tables and square cushions to sit on.

 

Dave showed his little note written in Japanese script mentioning his sesame allergy, and the two mamasans who seemed to run the place had no problem with it. We both enjoyed a delicious meal.

 

And this is the view that greeted us outside our bedroom window.